


Payback

by carebearos



Category: D.N. Angel
Genre: Developing Friendships, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff and Angst, Hidden Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22753246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carebearos/pseuds/carebearos
Summary: It was practically kidnapping. But she was adamant to pay him back no matter what, even if it meant dragging him against his will to the vending machine. Not that he's planning to file charges, anyway.
Relationships: Harada Risa/Hiwatari Satoshi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Payback

**Author's Note:**

> First written work published in years, lol. This is based from the infamous strawberry milk incident from one of the latest chapters.

He walked through the grey and empty school corridors with unhurried steps. He was allowing himself a rare moment of lull before reporting for work. He has a meeting with Saehara, Sr. tonight but he felt too out of sorts to face anyone right now. He needed a break.

He couldn't get his head off the events surrounding Baku. Why did the dream-eater show him that vision? Why her? And... why did it make him feel that way? When he saw her crying… The pain... Her pain. It was as though it was his too. He felt her sadness welling up from inside him. And he wanted to make it stop. But he knew he couldn't do much.

Then, he remembered the strawberry milk. It was a lame attempt at making her feel better. A band aid to a stab wound. But still, he’s hoping it helped somehow. Lately, he’s been wondering what she thought of the act. Did she think it was weird? He gave it to her out of the blue. He even practically told her that he watched her all the time. He facepalmed at the thought. Hard. _She definitely thought it was weird_.

"Hiwatari-kun..." _Was that her voice just now?_ He groaned inwardly. He did it again. Thought about her too much. Now he's even hearing her. If Krad ever notices how she made him feel, it will get dangerous. _No more of this. I’m done trying to figure that vision out._ He cleared his thoughts and started walking faster. Daydreams are not for the Hikari. Not for him. He had work to do.

"Hiwatari-kun!" He jumped when she appeared right in front of him out of nowhere.

"It's real!"

"Huh? What is?" There she really was, looking at him doe-eyed, head cocked to the side. His heart momentarily stopped before beating double-time. Warmth began rising from his chest to his cheeks, then his ears. _Why on earth am I…?_ He cleared his throat to disrupt his thoughts.

"Nothing, sorry. Uhmm... Did you need something, Harada?"

"Well, I've been wanting to get some time alone with you. Good thing I saw you walking by."

"Why?" _Alone? Why would she want to talk to me alone?_ His heart pounded louder. _Don't think about it too much_ , he told himself. _Try not to think about it._

"I need to repay you." She said urgently.

"Huh?"

"The strawberry milk!" In his head, he even heard her add _duh._

"O-ohh.” He felt his embarrassment knit knots in his guts. “You don't have to."

"No! I told you, you have no reason to treat me."

"It’s fine. Don't worry about it. It’s not enough, honestly..."

"What?"

_What? What am I saying? Why am I even prolonging this conversation?_

"Nothing. Just forget about it." He started walking away. As if to mock him, his mind was replaying what he did for Risa then. It was so unlike him. He always put up walls between him and people, but there he was, smashing a hole through the barrier between him and her with a carton of flavored milk. Now, he was desperately trying to patch it up. It felt stupid. And honestly, also sad. But it was the right thing to do. He quickened his steps, his head hung low.

"Wait _just_ a moment!" She yanked him back by the arm. "I SAID," She held him firmly and looked straight into his eyes. "I NEED. TO. REPAY YOU."

Standing with his face inches away from her, his senses came to a halt. Shock was an understatement for what hit him at that moment. His breath hitched in his throat. His mind overloaded with thoughts and sensations so unfamiliar to him before blanking out and culminating into a loud ringing in his ears. He basically _flatlined_.

Meanwhile, Risa was quite unaware of the system error she had caused in his brain.

“Can you please, please just let me do this?” She implored, still holding his arm. He just stared as his brain restarted and scrambled to reorient him to the current situation.

When he finally found his voice, he asked, "Why is it so important for you to repay me, anyway?"

"Because it's not right! What would Dark-san think if I accept drinks from another guy?!"

He blinked. He did not expect that. Well, he should have. Of course, it would somehow be about Dark. That was to be expected of her. But the logic required to arrive at the explanation she gave was just very, very complex. It was beyond him. He would never understand how girls' brains—this one's in particular—ticked. He tried to think of a response, but there was simply no way to answer to that.

"Silence means you understand, so let’s go!"

And he didn't. He swears he didn't. But his feet moved, anyway. He'd like to think otherwise, but he knew well that he was not being forced to come with her. There was a voice in his head screaming that this was a bad idea. That he should assert his ground. That he should end this here and now. _Don't get involved with her any further. This isn't a rom-com high school story. No. There's no such thing. Not for a Hikari like him_.

But there was this warmth. This captivating, addictive warmth. From the very first time he felt it when he saved her from that tower, he sought it. He wanted it. And he knew that right now, what fastened him to this situation wasn't her tight grip on his forearm but that irresistible warmth that he found in no one else but her.

"All right," she exhaled as she let go of his arm. Was she holding her breath this whole time? "We're here. No one's around. Let's get this over with quick. Stay there."

"What are we doing here?" He blinked at the vendo machine before them. He didn't even notice when they got here.

"I'm repaying you! While everyone’s gone!" She said, fishing some coins from her pocket. She started muttering to herself. "If any of your fans sees us, they will _gut_ me. Worse, if Saehara-kun sees us and takes our picture—"

"Then it's our turn to gut him." He said flatly.

She paused. No—actually, the whole world stopped. She looked at him wide-eyed. It was a joke. A joke from Satoshi Hiwatari. And he said it with a perfectly straight face.

“What?” He said, blinking back. Still no trace of emotions. She started laughing.

He was initially surprised, but he wasn’t able to stop himself from chuckling—even if only briefly. But somehow, the shared laughter made them feel that they were having a very normal friendly hangout—one that did not involve coercion or dragging people against their will.

"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." She said. A smile was now plastered on her face. He wasn’t as dreary as she’d always thought him to be. _Wait, when did she even start thinking that?_

“Anyway, let’s get you a drink…” She looked at the beverages displayed. Her finger automatically reached for the buttons just to stop midway.

"What kind of drink does he even like?" She whispered, as though forgetting he was there.

"Just—"

"Shh!" He was surprised. "Don't tell me, let me guess!"

"What? But—"

"You knew I liked strawberry milk!" She mentioned the fact casually, and he’s lucky she didn’t see him blush. _Yeah, Satoshi, why would you even know something like that?_

"So now, I'm going to guess what you want!"

_Wouldn’t that take too much time? What happened to doing this quickly?_ It was a pointless game but it intrigued him, so he humored her. He approached quietly and stood behind her. “Fine, then.”

"Hmmm..." She eyed the drinks one by one, squinting at them like they would spill any clues. She murmured to herself as she ran through her options. "Soda? Too unhealthy. Yogurt drink? Mm... not refreshing. Milk? Ugh, no... that's disgusting."

"...and you like strawberry _milk_?"

"Hey! That's different! Also, shut up, I'm concentrating."

"I don't have all day, though." The sun was going to set soon, and he might even be late for his meeting with Saehara’s father. Actually, he was starting to get tempted to cancel that boring meeting just to watch her play her little game.

"Ugh, this is harder than I thought!" She groaned. "Three tries! Give me three tries, and if I fail, you tell me the right answer. Okay?"

"Deal." But he knew that he would've given her ten if it meant staying in this warm, delusionary bubble where it didn't seem to matter who he is or whom she really liked.

"Hmm... Okay let’s do this.”

“What’s your first guess?”

“Hmm… Well, it's not as good as strawberry milk but... banana milk?" she said, her finger hovering over the button for the yellow milk cartons. She looked at him expectantly and was disappointed when he shook his head.

"Ugh! Really? It's good though! You should try it!" Her fingers hovered over the other buttons as she looked through the choices again. Then, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Ah! I can't fail with this one--chocolate milk!" She said, beaming at him. He let her revel in her false victory for a few seconds before shaking his head again. "What? But I was so sure! How can you not like chocolate milk?! It tastes like warm hugs!"

"You're choosing a drink for me, not for yourself."

She gasped. Then, slowly, her eyes widened and gleamed with realization.

"Ohhh!"

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, but he couldn't help the blush and smile forming on his face. He pretended to cough into his sleeve so that she wouldn't see.

"Okay, okay. I can do this now for sure!"

"One try left."

"Shush, I know! Don’t pressure me!" She huffed, raising a hand to him without a glance. But the reminder was not for her. He leaned on the vendo machine and watched. She looked closely at the remaining choices with her brows knitted in concentration. Her finger subconsciously started tapping rhythmically at her crossed arm, the way it always does when she was thinking deeply. She tilted her head to the side and hummed.

And all the while, he looked on, taking in every detail. Her dark-chocolate eyes, her delicate, slender fingers, the softness of her movements... he could do this all day, he thought. He allowed himself to hold on to the idea just a little longer. He let himself imagine being by her side. Without any fears or worries. Just being able to smile and see her smile up close. He sighed as a twinge of pain mingled with the warmth in his chest.

"Ah!" She suddenly yelled, making him jump. "I got it!"

"Geez, tone it down!"

"I got it!" She repeated, ignoring him. "I'm really, really sure this time!"

"Hmm, if you're so confident," he said, shrugging. "Let's see it."

"It's this!" She said, jabbing the air with her finger. "Tea! Right?!”

"Sure?"

"Yes!" She squealed. "It's healthy. It's refreshing. It's b—well, it's... it's so... _you_!"

He was pretty sure she was gonna say boring but he pretended to ignore that. She continued to flash a victorious grin at him as she waited for his verdict, but he only stared in silence.

"Am I wrong?" she asked, the bright smile on her face starting to fade into a pout. That very adorable pout that he loved so much. His eyes softened and his lips curved into a smile. He couldn’t hide it this time.

“It’s this.” He moved her finger across the machine until it pointed to a tall and slim black can. His hand lingered on hers for a moment before he realized what he did. He immediately let go.

“What?!” She looked at him scandalized. “You can’t be serious!”

“Why not?”

“What are you? A hardworking father of four? Why would you drink black coffee? Do you pull all-nighters all week?”

“Wait, what?”

“Do you even get proper sleep? That coffee is very strong!”

“W-well…” He did not expect to get a long sermon from her, and he didn’t exactly know how to feel. Was she worried about him?

“Do you?” She asked again, sounding like a mom more than anything.

“Uhh… Sometimes…” He answered feebly, like the scolded child he was.

“That’s not good enough! No wonder you look so pale!”

She was practically screaming at his face and he can only stare back in stunned silence. She blushed when she realized how close their faces were. _Also, did he just casually hold my hand earlier?!_ She took a step back and looked away.

“A-anyway!” She started pushing buttons on the vendo, “I am NOT getting you black coffee!”

There was a dull thud as the machine dispensed a drink, but he was too distracted to see what it was.

“This…” Risa said, reaching for her purchase. Then, she offered it to him. “Drink this instead.”

He stared smirking at the drink, and then at Risa.

“Really?”

“Mmhmm!” She nodded profusely. “Stop filling your tank with caffeine. _This_ is what you need!”

“What?” He chuckled, eyeing the same exact pink carton he gave her a few weeks back with an eyebrow raised. “Calcium? Sugar?”

“Yes!” She answered, enthusiastic despite his apparent sarcasm. “Sugar! You DO need some sweetness in your life! And more sleep!”

“You think?” He said sarcastically, taking the drink from her.

“I _know_!” She said smiling smugly, even placing her hands on her hips.

_Sweetness_. As he took in her doe-eyed stare and replayed her concerned voice in his head, he couldn’t agree more. He needed and wanted it. And he wanted nothing less than the sweetness that comes only from her. But that couldn’t be. Whatever the two of them had within this bubble was going to dissipate soon. They would both return to the lives they each lived. Him, performing his duties to his family, and her, chasing after her one true love.

There was a brief moment of silence, which Risa broke.

“All right! I guess that’s that!”

“Yeah…”

“See you around!”

“Yeah…”

“Mm.” _That’s that._ It was done, though somehow, She felt hesitant to leave things this way. She felt like there was something more to do. But she tried to shake off the feeling and she turned to leave.

“Wait…”

“Mhmm?” She looked back almost instantly, smiling with her eyebrows raised.

He couldn’t say anything. Really, there was nothing to say. He was just trying to cheat time. Extend the moment just a second longer. But he was surprised at how eagerly she responded, and it made him smile. However, in the end, he just sighed. Then he shook his head. _That’s enough, Satoshi. This is far enough._

“Nothing,” he said. “Thank you.”

“Ohh… you sure?” He nodded. And it was a lie. They both knew that. But the walls were back up. The thought made her sad. To her, he was hiding again. But to him, he was protecting her. _This is the right thing to_ do, he kept telling himself.

“I’ll get going, then.” She smiled one last time. It was a heavy, effortful smile. He nodded.

And the second she stepped away, the bubble burst. But for a moment, as though seen through a million tiny fragments of the quickly scattering bubble, everything looked iridescent.


End file.
